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matt
08-02-2009, 07:38 PM
As many would know, one of this year's Titan transits of Saturn takes place a little later tonight.

These events do not occur too often, so be sure to set up if your skies are looking friendly.

I'm already set up and am planning to capture much, if not all of this event. I'm hopeful of some good images and intend putting together an animation.

Who else is preparing to capture some photons???

iceman
08-02-2009, 07:51 PM
Southerly is expected to bring clouds and ruin it for me :(

jjjnettie
08-02-2009, 08:09 PM
Unfortunately I don't have enough FL to even watch it visually.
Good luck with it Matt

Dennis
08-02-2009, 08:44 PM
Hi Matt

I’m going to have a go, but I went through last night ‘til 5:00am this morning, playing hide and seek with the clouds, so I’m feeling a little zombie like. I never seem to be able to rest sufficiently the following day – there always seems something to do!

I’ll certainly try to make it to at least 1:00am to see the Titan ingress.

Good luck to everyone out there!

Cheers

Dennis

matt
08-02-2009, 08:49 PM
Hi Dennis.

According to my copy of SN Titan makes first contact with the edge of the planet's disc around 11.15pm Bris time.

It'll be fully inside the disc at 11.30pm.

Good luck.

Dennis
08-02-2009, 08:55 PM
Hi Matt

Thanks for the heads up – my tool of choice for planetary stuff has been SkyTools and it shows 1st contact just after mid night, so I’ll be out there well before then just in case SNP has a more accurate model.

Good luck to you too mate, or should I write “break a leg”! LOL!

Cheers

Dennis

Jen
08-02-2009, 11:35 PM
:thumbsup: Good luck Matt i hope you get some good pics :) I will be waiting patiently to see them thanks for the heads up :thumbsup:

jjjnettie
08-02-2009, 11:42 PM
I'm going to dust off the little Canon S3IS and use the video function, zoom right in and try to get an afocal .avi.

iceman
09-02-2009, 12:15 AM
It's officially ruined here for me (and most sydney-siders I'd imagine). The southerly came 2 hours too early :(

astroron
09-02-2009, 12:28 AM
Just came in from watching the s6art of the Transit.
First contact was at 12:56ut 22:56 Queensland time and was lost to me at 13:04ut 23: 04 Qld Time
Eyepieces used 6mm Radian plus two by Barlow.
Seeing at best seven out of ten, with moments of of maybe eight.
Could not see the moon on the disc of Saturn.

[1ponders]
09-02-2009, 12:33 AM
'bout time we jagged a good night 'eh Ron? I haven't followed the Titan stuff so I didn't set up for it. pretty good view from here as well. Oh well I'll just have to hang around for the comet.

astroron
09-02-2009, 12:41 AM
I Agree Paul, I have just came in for a coffee and am now waiting for the Comet to rise, which will be a while as it has to clear next doors trees.
Where did they get all those times for the transit? i did not think itcould be twenty minutes different from NSW to here:shrug:.
Not having a program that has planetary moons times on it makes things a little difficult:(
Now for the Comet:thumbsup:

Dennis
09-02-2009, 12:51 AM
Well, something indeed is happening! The conditions have restricted me to the x2.5 PowerMate, which for some reason, seems to behave like a x2 due to the distance of the DBK chip from the last glass element.

Gain is almost maxed out on the DBK21 and I’m still only recording at 1/9 sec but I can see fleeting glimpses of the dark spot of Titan’s silhouette encroaching on the disc (I think!!!).

I hope that all is well with Matt – if he’s shooting RGB we should get a nice animation. Good luck with Lulin boys – I’d have thought the Moon would wash it out?

Cheers

Dennis

kinetic
09-02-2009, 12:54 AM
a quick screen grab of SNBY Adelaide time...I hope it's accurate!

Transit has started according to that...my sky is clouded in..

Steve

[1ponders]
09-02-2009, 12:57 AM
I can just just make it out with binos atm Dennis. Mind you it's competing with a bit of coastal glow. Fingers crossed when it gets a bit higher. Even if it doesn't work out, it's a beautiful blue sky tonight :lol:

BOT. Good luck with the transit everyone.

jjjnettie
09-02-2009, 01:28 AM
It's a beautiful night alright, the temperature is perfect, the sky is clear.
I can just make out the LMC through the moonlight.
Looking forward to Lulin making an appearance over the tree tops. It can't be long now. I might run a few .avi's through registax while I'm waiting.
Enjoy the comet!

astroron
09-02-2009, 02:20 AM
I Missed the start of the shadow transit, but it was plainly seen in the 6mm Radian and also the 13mm Nagler as sharp dark spot in moments of better seeing:)
Comet LULIN was seen as it just cleared the trees as a faint round glow slightly brighter in the middle, 13mm Nagler also 30 mm plossl
Just visible in 15x65 bino's.
Mist came over so called it a night:)
Mist cleared by the time I packed up :lol:

Dennis
09-02-2009, 02:28 AM
Hmm, the Brisbane seeing seems to have picked up – my last AVI shows the silhouette of Titan quite nicely. Yawn......zzzdddsss

Cheers

Dennis

astroron
09-02-2009, 02:31 AM
G_night all:zzz2::zzz2::zzz2:

kinetic
09-02-2009, 02:34 AM
The sky cleared here but the seeing is terrible.
This is the best of 3 cloud interrupted AVIs.
I'm not sure if the dark spot in this result is Titan or not.

Total cloud cover now.

Steve

matt
09-02-2009, 11:06 AM
I've posted a couple of mono pics in the Solar System forum...ahead of working up some colour images and perhaps a short animation.

Jen
09-02-2009, 05:13 PM
:2thumbs: cool pics Steve what a shame the clouds came over, there was no clouds here at all :P;)